Sapphire Scars - A Mafia Romance

o keep a good distance between us as I say the words with as much venom

cked me ou

e, it's g

my face with the ring he never takes off-his smirk still carries a hint of the man I'd fallen for. "

despite my best efforts. He doesn't usually lord it over me. But he's too drunk to care about the cons

t.

f in a dozen different directions. "You know what? Fuck it. Fine. I'll let y

drunk. When he's sober, every motel is beneath him, ces

e that motels raised him. I'd assumed, based on the little he'd t

at were done to him-as opposed to the bad things he's done to others. After all, it'

his hands that ca

from the house and staggers down the street. His

to my dark, empty house.

history. It's funny how the painful emotions always feel so tangible and viscera

lar hot dogs from the halal cart and sat under a tree in Central Park.

owner when our regular player was out sick. But even then, part of me loved him, even if the rest of me hadn't quite c

through sepia-colored glasses. They're grainy. Blurred. Just

em. Everything about that memory feels sharp, like a thorn hiding bene

was wearing. I even remember that feeling of doom that

he one you hoped for,

ll asleep trying to catch my sepia-tinted memories and the hope of possi

ep knowing

U

nt door, and a dull pain across the left side of my face. I know I haven't slept for very long

BANG-

BANG-

It's enough to make me feel lik

yself to my feet. "Adrian,

one, it's a woman, and for another, she's dressed in uniform. My eyes go right to the gun holstered on her hip. It catch

appened

ou at this time, but-" She cuts

same spot and shape as the last one and the one b

her script. "Right. Well, ma'am, I'm sorry to hav

other fight. It wouldn't be the first time. N

story doesn't feel right tonight. The lo

e isn't quite as steady as it was when

Cooper? We found your

tence. Why would s

t under

compassion, though. The kind that's trained into you in the academy. Just another mask to put on to get her

this story to settle into place. "If he got h

se and horrifying, like glue I can't get off my fingers. "Ma'am, I'm afrai

s the breath catc

oments in life. I clock every insignificant detail and know even as

f the cop's

isinfectant tang

ting to the dried blood I